Ferret Food Question...?

Question

I have had my male ferret for about 2 1/2 years. When I first got him he had a prolapsed rectum and I was feeding him cat food (as directed by the pet store owner, where I bought him from) so my vet told me to switch him to kitten food, so I did and his prolapsed rectum went away. So I have been feeding him the kitten food from then on. My question is, he is very very active but he is a little on the skinny side. Is there something else that I should be feeding him? Also, do you know how long ferrets live? Someone told me only about 5 years. Is that right?

I read somewhere that this is what a ferret needs: Protein - 32% (min)
Fat - 18% (min)
Fiber - 3% (max)

The food that I am feeding him is:
Protein - 40.0%(min)
Fat - 12.5% (min)
Fiber - 4.0% (min)

I feed him Purina Kitten Chow Nurturing Formula. How is this different then the Ferret food? The vet told me that this was the some thing, just a lot cheaper.

Answer 1

Unfortunatly, everyone who is telling you to feed only ferret food is wrong.

The fact of the matter is, most "Ferret" foods that are on the market are complet junk, and actaully dangerous to the ferret because the contain corn, fruit, and veggies.

Ferrets are obligate carnivores and thier diet should follow that.

Here is a great list of foods that are acceptable to feed ferrets:
http://everythingfert.proboards36.com/index.cgi?board=kristen&action=display&thread=1109195167

Ferrets can live between 6-10 years although this varies.

I really suggest you join up at http://www.everythingfert.proboards36.com

There you can also learn about duck soup, which is great to give ferrets as a treat, and will help them gain weight healthily!

Answer 2

If you take your ferret to a vet that has had actual "hands on" experience with ferrets, they will tell you that cat/kitten food is not good for them. It doesn't have the right amount of nutritional needs for a ferret. Cat or kitten food won't do it and that's one of the reasons that your ferret could be on the skinny side. Additional reasons for a ferret to be skinny is disease. Could be Adrenal Disease or Cancer.....any one of them is very common to ferrets, especially one that is over 2 years old. Do the research yourself. Go to some of the ferret sites and there are some good ones. One that is great is www.ferretcentral.org. And find a vet that knows something about ferrets. For a vet to tell you that kitten food is ok tells me that he doesn't know much, if anything, about ferrets and is just guessing. Ferrets typically live 8 years and can live longer if they don't get some fatal disease. I had one live to 12 years old.

Answer 3

You should be feeding him Ferret Food. It has a much higher fat content than cat food. Ferrets need more fat because they have "short" digestive tract. Also, ferrets eat more in the autumn to gain extra winter weight. Since this is the beginning of winter, your ferret should be a bit chubby. I feed my ferrets Totally Ferret, and you can find this and other brands at PetSmart and PetCo.
Ferrets have an average lifespan of 7-8 years.

Answer 4

ok NO cat or kitten food ferret diet ONLY and they live about 8 years some times up to 12. i feed my 3 marsahlls. check out these sites ferretuniverse.com; ferretcentral.org; ferret.org and essentialferretguide.com oh and FIND ANOTHER VET one that cares for ferrets OFTEN
Marshalls is a good place and THEY DON"T IN BREED ferret universe has an article on them check it out

Answer 5

Marshalls ferret food sucks, and so does marshalls ferret farms. I wont get into why because i dont feel like typing it all out.

Basically cat food and kitten food is for cats, not ferrets.

He needs to be on a good quality ferret food that has atleast 35-36 percent protein. Brands i recomend are Totally Ferret, 8in1 complete ferret diet, 8in1 ultamate ferret diet, James Wellbeloved Ferret Food, The Ferret Store Superior Choice Natural, and Wysong Ferret.

There lifespan depends on who the ferret came from and its diet. Like marshalls ferrets usually reach 7 yrs of age but they are so prone to diseases like adrenal disease and cancers because of inbreeding and i firmly believe that because the ferrets are spayed and neutered at such a young age it helps in reducing their lifespan.

Answer 6

you should feed ferrets proper ferret diet like marshal ferret farms ferret food. it has the proper vitamins and minerals that a ferret needs to live a happy and healthy life. your pet store owner didn't tell you the right thing. ferrets have very short digestive tracts and cannot process certain types of foods. you also should use a pine chip type litter (like Feline Pine cat litter) because cedar chip dust irritates there sensitive little noses. A healthy ferret will live to be 7 to 10 years old. they are very sociable and affectionate critters and will give you many years of enjoyment.

Answer 7

kitten food is actually bad for your ferret he needs more protein than kitty food has. put him on ferret food and find a good vet to help you with him Ferets can live up to ten years if well taken care of good luck